Review Summary: Listening to this band felt like getting second wind during a distance run.
Oh hey, another underappreciated Hard Rock band! Wow, I seem to review many of those, don’t I? It’s honestly hard for me to explain my admiration, and lately fascination for the unexplored. Quality bands that satisfy millions just don’t seem to do it for me and I find myself constantly searching for that unknown group that for whatever reason stands out among the crowd, at least to my ears. I suppose I have a specific taste or maybe I like rooting for the underdog, but really it’s more like a thirst I need to quench over and over again as since I started, I just can’t seem to get enough.
Anyway, should you bother with this one? Yes, yes you should. Not unlike the other bands I reviewed, Allele, formed in 2002, was far enough from mainstream to pique my interest and good enough to make me stay once it did. Stamped again with the Hard Rock/ Alt. Metal label, these guys fell right into the category of that heavy yet melodic sound I so love. So what made them the “Gold Bond” to my itch among similar acts like Cold or Breaking Benjamin? The answer is spirit.
I read that Allele once described their sound as “Hard Rock with a new feel”. Whatever that means, right? Well, it turns out they were right on the money. Listening to this band felt like getting second wind during a distance run whereas listening to the previously mentioned bands felt like running against the wind during one. I suppose a lot of it needs to be attributed to the singer. Besides his awesome name, Wally Wood possesses a powerful singing voice which is lucky for us since singing is what he does most on this album. Need a good example? Listen to “Immune”. Nevertheless, his occasional screams are very effective and complement tracks like “Fake” very well.
Speaking of tracks, the songs themselves present a nice variety of soft and hard and are equally touching and full of emotion. The instrumentals aren’t overly impressive but still manage to create an ambiance fitting to the vocalist’s abilities. You can just hear the passion in his voice, particularly on “Closer to Habit” and “Unknown”. On top of all that most of the melodies heard on this album are quite catchy and you’ll most likely find yourself singing along often as the lyrics aren’t particularly complicated. Then again, the themes on the album are so relatable you will find deeper meaning in many of the words sung.
Overall, this is another excellent but overlooked album that stuck with me since the first time I heard it. It may seem repetitive on occasion but it keeps me coming back every time for its excellent vocals and overall performance. If you’re not sold on the hard rock genre with metal tendencies, this won’t change your mind. If you’re looking for a more progressive sound, you shouldn’t even be here (but thank you for reading anyway). However if you’re looking for a talented rock band that packs a punch to the likes of Element Eighty, Hour Cast and Eye Empire, you won’t regret picking Point of Origin up. Oh and if you are a fan, look out for their second album sometime in 2011 as, according to their MySpace page, recording is about to begin.
